Time of Death
by Brian Night
Summary: When the Purge of the Dharma Initiative makes its way to the Hydra Station, the researchers there are forced to fight for their lives. Ben and the Hostiles are on their way, intent on killing everyone on the small island...
1. Chapter 1

Greetings! This story takes place in the past, during the Purge of the DHARMA Initiative, depicting what happened at the Hydra Station during that time. This is the first of nine chapters, which I'll continue posting in the next few days. As always, feel free to post any questions/comments/issues/concerns/compliments/constructive criticisms/suggestions/etc. I love hearing from the readers! Enjoy:

Time of Death

Chapter One:

"Time of Death: four o'clock."

"That's it?"

"What else do you want me to do? Face it, Harold: he's gone."

Dr. Harold Milton hung his head and nodded slowly. He knew that Dr. Amy Occam had done her best to save their patient, but in cases like this, it always seemed like there was something more they could've done.

"I'll miss him," stated Harold, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

Amy turned around and returned the paddles to the crash cart. "As will I."

Harold looked up at the love of his life and smiled. "You loved him, didn't you?"

She smirked at the comment and, seeing her beautiful smile, Harold couldn't help but smile too. "Don't pretend like you're any different," she said.

Harold reached out and ran his fingers through the deceased's short white hair. "I was there the day he was born, you know. It was just a few weeks after I arrived, but I remember it like it was yesterday."

"Fifteen years sure go by fast, don't they?"

"Sixteen," he corrected. "I got here a year before you, remember?"

"And that," Amy said as she began to wash the blood off her hands, "is the only reason _you're _the senior doctor instead of me."

Harold joined her at the sink. "That, and the fact that my medical experience and expertise is far greater than yours."

Amy laughed and splashed him with water. "You wish. The only reason DHARMA brought me here is because_ you_ couldn't tell the difference between a shark and a dolphin."

Harold dried off his hands on a nearby towel. "Hey, it was an honest mistake. I was tired from all the revolutionary work I was spearheading."

Once again eying the deceased patient, Amy commented, "We've come a long way, haven't we?"

Harold nodded nostalgically. "We sure have. He was the first cub not to need any human assistance to survive here."

"But not the last."

"But not the last," he agreed.

The third occupant of the room, a research assistant named Terry, interrupted their trip down memory lane. "If you two are ready, should I… uh… _dispose_ of Snowy?"

Amy looked at Harold to make sure it was okay with him, then turned and said, "Give him the usual treatment."

"I'll leave the lock in your room."

Terry was referring to Amy's strange habit of keeping a small lock of hair from every polar bear that had ever been under her care, something that secretly made Harold a bit uneasy. But he loved Amy no matter how many little quirks she had, and with this in mind he grabbed her hand and the two left the Hydra's main operating room together.

They had barely taken two steps into the next room when Amy stated calmly, "Enemies ahead."

Harold quickly saw them, a few dozen large black ants crawling in and out of a small hole in the corner. Almost reflexively, the can of bug spray was in his hand, and the colony of ants was dead a few seconds later. Carrying a bottle of bug poison in his pocket at all waking moments was one of Harold's little quirks.

"I hate those things."

"I know, Harold."

"Why can't they just stay outside where they belong? Everything would be so much simpler that way. Invaders, that's what they are. Every time we set up a new building, they find some way into it."

"Well, it looks like you took care of them, honey."

"They deserved it," he reminded her. "And let's pray that every other trespasser suffers the same fate as those ants."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"I have to ask: does any food actually make it to your mouth?"

"Shut up."

Tuor Librescu chuckled and continued to sweep the floor of the office, just as he had been doing for the DHARMA Initiative since it had arrived at the island many years ago. He had been a Work Man then too, but he never complained about his position. As the head janitor for the Hydra station, and the only one of his team who chose to live on the grounds, he had developed a strange bond with the facility. It had become a privilege, rather than a responsibility, to keep the numerous buildings in tip-top shape and Tuor had come to take great pride in the appearance of his island home.

He only wished that people like Arnold felt the same way.

"So what's on the schedule for tonight?" the old man asked, hoping to start up a friendly conversation.

"The _Galaga_ comes in at nine to bring some supplies," replied Arnold. "Until then, I'll probably just sit here and continue to be bored out of my mind."

"Oh, come now. It can't be that bad."

Arnold covered his eyes with one pudgy hand and laughed. "You're in no position to talk, old-timer. At least _you_ get to roam around the compound at will, while I'm stuck here at this desk, waiting to unload a couple of boxes whenever a sub comes in."

Tuor looked up through the large glassless window of the office. Outside the small room was a much larger area, most of which was taken up by an enormous pool. Tuor knew that somewhere beneath the water was an opening to the surrounding ocean, through which subs entered and exited on a regular basis. The only above-water exit from the docking bay was a tiled hallway that led past the office and up towards the aquarium facility.

"I should be done cleaning in an hour or so, if you want to play chess or cards."

"Whatever," Arnold replied with a shrug. As rude as he could be, Tuor couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid. Being cramped in a four-by-eight room for eight hours a day couldn't be fun.

It took only a minute for Tuor to finish cleaning the office itself, and he had just started to mop the hallway when a deep rumbling came from the pool of water. The sound was familiar to Tuor, and anyone who spent any amount of time in the docking bay: it was the sound of a submarine coming to the surface.

"What the heck?" Arnold quickly rose to his feet and threw open the door to the office, almost knocking Tuor over as he rushed past him and into the bay.

"What's wrong?" asked the janitor. "You said the sub was coming."

"Yeah, but not until nine o'clock. That's almost three hours from now."

Tuor shrugged and went back to mopping, though his curiosity kept him watching events out of the corner of his eye.

The _Galaga_ surfaced with a small splash and it didn't take long for the hatch to swing open and a young man to climb out. He was wearing a tan Dharma jumpsuit, just like the ones Arnold and Tuor wore except the young man's had no logo, just the words "Work Man" stitched below his name, "Ben."

"What are you doing here?" Arnold asked.

Ben jumped off the deck of the sub and onto the landing next to Arnold. "Bringing supplies. Horace told us you wouldn't mind if we showed up a little early."

"_A little_ early? Three minutes is _a little_ early, this is three hours ahead of schedule."

Ben just stared. "I have the paperwork, if you want to see it."

Before Arnold had a chance to reply, Ben reached into his jumpsuit's right pocket and pulled out, not the paperwork, but a small black pistol. Tuor dropped his mop in surprise as a second man climbed out of the sub. This one had short, dark hair, was carrying a rifle, and was dressed in raggedy, colorless clothes.

"Traitor!" Arnold shouted. "You're working with the Hostiles."

Tuor, personally, had never seen a Hostile before but he had heard nothing pleasant about the savage natives of the island, and he knew that their arrival couldn't mean good things for the Hydra or its occupants.

"Not so loud," Ben urged. Behind him, more men started to climb out of the sub, each of them dressed similarly to the second.

"And you," said the Hostile with the dark hair. He was looking straight at Tuor. "Put up your hands and move away from the walkie."

Walkie? It took a moment for Tuor to realize what the Hostile was talking about. Arnold had left his walkie-talkie on his desk, which was just a few feet away from Tuor. It would take but a second for him to run into the office and pick up the device, though the Hostiles would have a perfect line of fire at him through the office window. If Tuor went for the walkie, he would be a goner for sure. And so he had no choice in the matter, he did the only thing he could.

He went for the walkie-talkie.

His actions momentarily took the Hostiles off guard. The dark-haired one swung his rifle around to point through the window, but Ben got off the first shot. It hit Tuor in the chest, but not before he had his wrinkled hand gripped firmly around the walkie-talkie. The force of the bullet knocked him to the ground, and his torso erupted with pain, but somehow he still found the strength to raise the walkie-talkie to his mouth and hold down the "talk" button.

Between bloody coughs, he managed to get out, "Hostiles… in the sub… bay. Ben's… a traitor... send… send…"

The next round of coughs was too powerful to stop, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Ben enter the office through the open door, pistol aimed at Tuor's head.

"Sayonara, Tuor."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"I love the winter."

"And why is that?"

"Because the stars come out early."

Harold turned to look at Amy, sitting next to him atop the highest point of Hydra Island, their feet dangling together in front of the cliff. The light of the stars was reflected in her gorgeous blue-grey eyes and a light wind blew through her beautiful auburn hair.

"I hate the winter." Harold tore his gaze away from his companion, and returned them to the night sky, though through his peripheral vision he saw Amy do the opposite.

"And why is that?"

"Because it's easier to do research during the day."

Amy looked back towards the stars. "There are other things to do besides work, you know."

"Oh trust me, I know," he replied without missing a beat.

Amy sighed. "That's not what I meant."

Playfully, he replied, "Me neither."

"Stop being smart with me."

"I'm a- STUPID ANT!"

Harold shook his hand furiously and the little bugger was sent flying. "No matter where we go, those pests still manage to find us."

"I thought you said you'd be happy if they stayed outside."

"Yeah, well, I changed-"

The rest of his sentence was cut short by a sudden wailing that caused both of them to jump with surprise. Harold quickly realized that the wailing was coming from a speaker just a little ways down the hill; it meant that the station was under attack.

"Oh, crap."

"What's going on?" Amy asked as they both stood up. "It has to be a drill, right?"

"If it was a drill, I would've authorized it. This is for real." Harold took his walkie-talkie out of one of his lab coat pockets and switched it on. "Hey Grant, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, sir," came the voice of his head of security. "We're under attack by the Hostiles."

"The Hostiles? How the hell did they get _here_?"

"They're in the sub bay, so I'd guess they have control of the sub."

Harold took a deep breath and reminded himself that Grant was far more experienced at this sort of thing than he was. "So what do we do?"

"I'd suggest that you and Dr. Occam head to the psychology building. It's far away from the Hostile's current location but close enough for you to get there within a matter of minutes. You'll be alone though since all of the psychology people already went back to the Barracks."

Harold desperately wished that he had one of the tasers he used to keep the animals in line. If one of those things could take down a polar bear, they should be able to knock out a human with ease. But they were all back at the medical building, and he would have to make due with what he had.

"Alright, we'll head to the psychology building. Where are you?"

"I'm in the sleeping quarters with the others. The only ones missing are you two, Tuor, and Arnold."

Harold took Amy's hand and the two began to hike down the mountain, towards the nearby building where psychology experiments were performed. "Where are they?" he asked into the walkie.

"Tuor's the one who raised the alarm, but he didn't sound too good. I'd assume that he and Arnold are dead by now, or captured at the very least."

Arnold was relatively new to the island and Harold barely knew him, but old Tuor had worked in the Hydra longer than anyone else. He would be sorely missed.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Try to keep everyone else safe and together, and make sure that the Hostiles don't get past the Aquarium. We'll have a heck of a time finding them if they make it to the jungle."

"Yes, sir. I'll radio back if there are any developments."

"Good. And Grant?"

"Sir?"

"You have my permission to do whatever it takes to keep the Hostiles contained. I want those buggers off my island- at all costs."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Chapter Four:

"Yes, sir."

Grant let go of the "talk" button and returned the walkie-talkie to his belt. He reached down under his cot, removed a small pistol hidden there, and stuffed that behind his belt as well.

"Sir."

Grant looked towards the doorway of his room to find Terry standing there. Though she may have been young, she was supposed to be one of the best research assistants DHARMA could get their hands on. And if she was good enough to be trusted by the guys in charge, then she was good enough to be trusted by Grant.

"Did you get the others?" he asked. The four other research assistants who stayed in the Hydra over night had all been in the showers when the alarm went off.

Terry nodded affirmatively. "They're getting dressed right now."

A few seconds later, Mark and Cory, the two nighttime security guards, arrived at the room with the research assistants close behind.

"Okay, here's the plan. The Hostiles have to pass through the Aquarium on their way out of the sub bay, so I want you two," he pointed to Mark and Cory, "to head 'em off there. Take out the surveillance monitors so they can't use 'em against us, and steal a couple of guns from the armory if you still have time."

"And if we don't?" Mark asked.

Grant frowned and answered, solemnly, "Hold 'em off as long as you can."

The two nodded and headed off down the hallway.

"Wait." The guards stopped in their tracks and turned to face their superior. "If you make it out of there okay, we'll meet you in the medical building."

"Why the medical building?" Terry asked.

"Because if the Hostiles have the sub bay, that means they have Arnold's walkie, and _that_ means that they heard where we are. I told the doctors that we were here and that they should head over to the psychology building."

"So won't the Hostiles know their location too?"

"Exactly." Grant liked the way this young woman thought. He took the pistol off his belt and handed it to her. "That's why I want you to head out now and stop the doctors before they get there. If you run, you should be able to intersect them in time. Then the three of you can meet us at the medical building as well. That's where we'll make our stand."

Terry took the gun hesitantly. "Why do I need this?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

Terry frowned, but put the gun in her pocket anyway.

The real reason Grant wanted to go to the medical building was because of the tasers and tranquilizer guns stored there. Mark and Cory, being security guards, each had their rifles with them, and Grant kept the pistol with him at all times, but those would be the only firearms they had. Dr. Milton had insisted that all guns not currently in use by a security guard be stored in the armory. That decision would come back to bite him if the Hostiles had already taken the Aquarium, which contained both the armory and the surveillance room.

"Does everybody know what they're doing?" Everyone nodded. "Then let's move."

With that said, the team split up and head off in three different directions: Mike and Cory out the front entrance towards the Aquarium, Terry out the back and into the jungle on her way to the doctors, and the rest, including Grant, out the front and into the medical building on the other side of the bear cages.

The bears themselves took little notice of the humans rushing in every direction; most of them were either sleeping or eating DHARMA fish biscuits.

As soon as the four research assistants and Grant were inside the medical building, the latter closed and locked the front door. He left the medics, one guy and three girls, in the observation deck and locked the storage entrance at the rear of the building. Neither door would hold long if the Hostiles were determined, but Grant knew they would need every layer of defense they could get.

As the head of security returned to the observation deck, his walkie came to life.

"Sir, are you there?" It was Cory and there were gunshots in the background.

"I'm here. Proceed."

"Mark's down, probably dead. We're in the Aquarium but we're too late; they already have control of the armory and the surveillance room."

Grant stomped his foot in anger. "Alright, get out of there as soon as you can and try to make it into the jungle."

He let go of the "talk" button but heard only static on the other end.

"Cory, can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Damn." Another good man lost. Grant returned the walkie to his belt and entered the observation deck. "Come on, we gotta move again."

"What? Why?" asked the male.

"Because the Hostiles already had control of the surveillance room, which means they saw us come in here."

"So where are we heading now?" asked one of the girls.

Grant took five seconds to come up with a plan. "_We're_ not going anywhere. I want the four of you to head out the back door- there are no cameras there. Run through the jungle to the lecture hall; that'll be one of the last places the Hostile'll search."

The male looked nervous. "What about you?"

"Someone's gotta stay here to tell Terry and the docs where we went. I volunteer."

"But what if the Hostiles get here first?"

Grant turned around and headed back down the stairs towards the main operating room.

"Don't worry, they will. And I'll be ready for 'em."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"So how do you think the Hostiles got control of the sub?"

"I don't even want to think about it."

Harold and Amy pressed on through the jungle, getting ever closer to the refuge of the psychology building.

"So," asked Amy, "Horace, Olivia, are they all-"

"Like I said, I'd rather not think about it."

Amy respected his wishes and the two headed onward in silence. They had only been walking for about a minute, however, when they heard someone coming.

"Quick, hide."

Harold and Amy ducked behind a pair of large trees, finally letting go of each other's hands. A person ran right past them, and it took Harold a second to realize who it was.

"Terry?"

The girl spun around and had a gun aimed at Harold before he had a chance to react. Upon seeing the head doctor, she quickly lowered the weapon and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"Looking for the two of you. The Hostiles have a walkie; they probably have a team already on their way to the psychology building."

Harold nodded. He should've thought of that in the first place. Maybe they should've done some drills after all so that they would have code words and whatnot ready in case something like this happened. But the Hydra had never been under attack by the Hostiles before and he had never dreamed they would ever be able to steal the sub.

"So where do we go instead?"

"To the medical building," Terry replied. "Grant and the others will meet us there."

"Then let's go."

Together, the three of them ran through the woods as fast as they could without making too much noise. They were about halfway to the main area when Amy suddenly came to an abrupt halt. "Wait, I hear something."

The other two stopped and Harold heard it too. Footsteps coming their way, and fast.

"Run!" Terry yelled, obviously a little too loud because a second later a bullet missed her head by inches and hit a nearby tree.

With a sudden surge of energy from the adrenaline rushing through their veins, the trio turned and sprinted in the opposite direction at full speed. Harold made sure to stay a few feet behind Amy so that if she tripped or fell down he would be able to quickly help her up.

"Isn't there a shelter around here somewhere?" Harold knew that his predecessor had ordered a dozen or so underground, camouflaged shelters to be built in case something like this ever happened, but he had never been to one personally.

"Beats me," said Terry, who was at the head of the group. A few more gun shots could be heard behind them, and it sounded like the Hostiles were starting to catch up.

"Yeah, there is," said Amy. "Let's just hope I can remember where."

Without warning, she turned and starting running to their right and it took the other two a good five seconds to change direction and follow her. The Hostiles were so close now that Harold could hear their footsteps behind them.

Luckily, a moment later they emerged in a small clearing and Amy wasted no time spotting and opening the camouflaged cover of one of the shelters. In reality, it was little more than a dirt pit covered with bamboo, but it would have to do.

The trio leaped into the shelter as quickly as they could and Amy instantly closed the door on top of them. Not more than ten seconds later, they heard the sound of footsteps running by and knew that the Hostiles had passed them.

"Should we-"

"Shh!" Harold raised a finger to his lips to cut Terry off mid-sentence. He kept them silent for a full minute before saying, "Okay, we should be good by now." He reached up and pushed open the cover and, to his great relief, found that the clearing was empty.

The rest of their journey was rather uneventful, which was just fine by Harold, and they began to be more cautious as they neared the medical facility. Nearby was the main building, which was where the overnight personnel slept and showered, the cages where the specimens were kept, and the entrance to the underground Aquarium, which in turn led to the underwater sub bay. Almost all of the security cameras were in this area, but luckily for them there were no cameras watching the rear entrance to the medical building.

They entered cautiously, with Terry in the lead, the gun ready in her hand. The first room they came into was just used for storage, and the doctors wasted no time stuffing a couple of tasers into their lab coat pockets. The tranquilizers guns would've been preferable, but they were all kept in the operating room itself.

In a whisper, Harold asked, "Where are we supposed to meet them at?"

"I'd guess the main operating room or the observation deck."

"Then let's go."

Terry nodded and pressed an ear against the room's only other door. The observation deck was on the others side, and from there a set of metal steps led down in the washroom which, in turn, led to both the front entrance and the operating room itself.

"Hear anything?" Harold asked in a whisper.

Terry shook her head. "On the count of three: one… two… THREE!"

The instant the word left her mouth she yanked the door open and aimed the gun into the observation deck. Before Harold's brain even had a chance to register what was going on, Terry screamed and shot the man already in the room.

"Hostiles!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

"Get back!"

Harold grabbed Amy and pulled her to the side of the door, out of the line of fire. Terry, however, wasted no time moving into the observation deck, her gun still held at the ready.

"It's clear," Terry whispered. From the observation deck she had a view of the entire facility, minus part the washroom, which meant that in all likelihood she was right.

Harold and Amy, tasers set to full power, walked into the observation deck behind her, and Amy quickly pulled a pistol out of the Hostile's dead hand.

At that moment, another one appeared at the foot of the steps. Before anyone had a chance to react, he had fired three bullets into Terry's chest. Beside Harold, Amy aimed her gun the Hostile's head and pulled the trigger without hesitation. Harold was surprised by her actions; usually Amy would never hurt a fly.

"You didn't have to kill him," he commented.

"He deserved it."

Harold got down on one knee and took Terry's pulse. "Nothing," he said sadly.

The room was silent for a few moments. Then Amy wiped a tear from her eye and put the gun in one of her pockets. Harold was just rising to his feet when a voice suddenly yelled, "Hey! Down here!"

Both doctors turned to look through the window into the operating room, and were surprised to see two men standing there. They must have been in the washroom during the shooting, because the double doors connecting the two rooms were still swinging.

One man, a Hostile with a bushy mustache, had a gun aimed at the head of the other man. But this man was wearing a Dharma jumpsuit, and Harold instantly recognized him.

"Arnold."

"Drop the guns!" ordered Mustache. "Or your friend here gets it between the eyes."

"Don't do it, Harold!" yelled the sub bay overseer. "I'm expenda-"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Mustache. Arnold complied. The mustachioed Hostile turned back to Harold and Amy in the observation deck above. "I want you two to drop the guns right there, then come down here. And don't try anything funny or Arnold will pay the price."

Amy dropped her weapon and the two of them walked down the steps into the washroom. A set of double-doors still separated them from the operation room.

"What do we do?" Amy asked. "He has a gun and now we don't."

"We might not have any guns," Harold reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the tasers, "but we have something better."

Harold put his hands in the air, palms facing backwards so that the Hostile wouldn't be able to see the taser he held there. Amy did the same, though she left her taser in her pocket. She went first, opening the doors to the operating room and partially blocking Harold from the Hostile's view.

"Alright, good," said Mustache once they were both in the room. "Now stand against the wall."

"Are you crazy?!" yelled Arnold. "He's going- ahh!"

Mustache had taken the butt of the gun and slammed it into the side of Arnold's head. Harold took advantage of the distraction and rushed forward. He pressed the taser against Mustache's arm and pressed down on the button. Hostile and hostage both fell to the ground, screaming and trembling from the pain.

Harold grabbed the gun out of the Hostile's hand and aimed it at his head. "Quick, tie him up."

"With what?" asked Amy.

He glanced around the room, searching for something to use in place of rope. Finally, spotting the crash cart, he put the gun in his pocket and ripped off the cords that connected the Cardiac paddles to the cart itself. Then he went into the washroom and used the cords to tie the Hostile to one of the sinks.

When Harold returned to the operating room, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Amy was standing on the near side of the room, both hands raised above her head. On the other side, Arnold was standing with his back to the lockers, a pistol aimed at her.

"Arnold? What are you doing?"

Now he turned the gun on Harold. "Hands up, Dr. Milton."

Harold raised his hands, wishing that he hadn't put the pistol in his pocket. "What's going on?"

"What's going on," said Arnold smugly, "is that I've joined the Hostiles. And I suggest that the two of you do the same."

"And why the heck would we do that?" asked Amy.

"Because _they're_ the victims here. We came to _their_ Island, took _their_ land, without even bothering to ask them first. It's the Indians and the Colonists all over again. But these Indians aren't just going to sit back and get killed, and we can't blame them for taking back what's rightfully there's. They're not cruel people; they're not heartless murderers. Just tell them you're sorry and they'll forgive you too."

"Is that what you've done?" asked Harold as he took a step forward. "Apologized? Because I, for one, have nothing to apologize for. We came here and built a half-dozen stations and a little village for us to live in- that's it."

"That, and a sonic fence that kills anyone who comes near it," reminded Arnold sharply.

"So what? The main island is _huge_; there's more than enough space for both of us to coexist peacefully."

Arnold just shook his head. "I'm done trying to convince you, Dr. Milton. If you can't see the error of your ways, you never will. Any last words?"

Amy gasped and looked from Harold to Arnold but before she got a chance to say anything, the locker behind Arnold swung open, knocking the traitor the ground. Without thinking, Harold rushed forward, grabbed the gun out of a confused Arnold's hand, and killed him.

"Are you okay, sir?"

Harold looked up at their rescuer. It was Grant.

"I'm fine. What in Hanso's name were you doing in a locker?"

"Waiting for you," he explained. "I was just grabbing some tranquilizers when the Hostiles broke down the door, so I hid in the first place I could think of. I was planning on rescuing you once the Hostiles had you captured, but it looks like you didn't need much rescuin' after all."

"Thanks just the same," said Amy. The three of them each picked up pistol and checked to make sure it had ammo left. "So what do we do now?"

"While I was in the locker," started Grant, "I came up with a plan. I figure if the Hostiles took the Barracks, they should be able to take this place with ease. Our only chance is to get off this island, and the only way to do that is to steal the submarine."

"But they have it surrounded," protested Amy. "We'd never make it past the Aquarium."

"Not by going the main way. But the sub bay is also connected to the outside by an underwater opening. I figure we could all go down to the beach, swim right on into the bay, and steal the sub before they notice what's going on." Grant smiled confidently. "They'll never see us coming."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

"Yes they will."

The other two turned to look at Harold. "There's an underwater video camera that watches the subs come in and out. If they have control of the surveillance room, they'll see us in the water and have a half dozen men waiting for us at the bay."

"So what do we do?" Amy asked.

The three just stared at each other for a few long moments. Finally, Grant said, "I have an idea. That sub isn't huge, I doubt they could fit more than a dozen people inside. We've already killed three and they probably sent a couple more to the psychology building after you two. That means that there can't be more than four or five of them left in the Aquarium."

"You're not suggesting that we just go in and fight them?"

"No, they'll be on the defense and that gives them the advantage. I'm suggesting that we make a distraction. They'll send most of their men out to take care of it, and then even if they do see us coming, there'll be nothing they can do to stop us."

"It's a good plan," Harold admitted. "But what are we going to use as a distraction?"

"I have an idea," said Amy. "I'll head on over to the cages and set the animals free while you two go get the others and steal the sub. You can pick me up on the other side of the island. If five angry polar bears isn't a distraction, I don't know what is."

"That's a good plan too," complimented Harold. "Except I'll do it instead of you."

"We'll do it together."

"No." Harold looked Amy in the eyes and placed his hands on her shoulders. "This is dangerous as it is and the more of us that go, the more likely we are to get eaten by the bears. I love you, Amy. And that's why you have to stay here." He looked up at his head of security. "Grant, take her with you."

Amy just stared at him, a look of hurt and betrayal in her blue-grey eyes. Grant grabbed hold of her arm and started leading her towards the back door.

"If you truly loved me," shouted Amy as she left, "you'd let me come with you!"

As much as her words hurt, Harold knew this was the way it had to be. Grant would take good care of her, and he would meet them on the other side of the island once they had stolen the sub. There would be more than enough time to make amends then. But for now, he had a job to do. Harold picked up one of the pistols, stuffed it into his coat pocket, and rushed out of the front door and into the area where the cages were kept.

The polar bears had been split up into two cages situated across from each other. One of the cages held an adult female, Bandura, who was part of a study by the Hydra's Animal Psychologists. Four others, a mother, father, and their two cubs, occupied the other cage.

The adults were used to the researchers by now, so Harold decided to release Bandura first. He didn't waste any time watching her escape, but quickly turned to the other cage and let out the remaining bears.

At that moment, four Hostiles emerged from the jungle, no doubt having been dispatched from the Aquarium just moments before. But as soon as they saw the quintet of massive mammals running at them, they about faced and took off into the jungle at top speed. Only one cub, a particularly fierce one named Fossey, remained behind.

Harold and the bear stared each other eye to eye for a moment before the former turned and made a run for Bandura's empty cage. But Fossey was faster, and no sooner had Harold turned around than he felt a strong tug on his lab coat. He quickly shrugged it off and shut himself in the cage while Fossey was busy chewing the coat to pieces.

"Take that, you stupid bear," Harold taunted. He reached into his pocket for the pistol… and released that it was still in his lab coat.

"Damn it!"

Fossey had finally lost interest in the coat and his attention returned to the man inside the cage. The door was shut tightly, but not locked, and Harold would've easily been able to escape except for the fact that there was a raging bear cub on the other side.

"Hey, Fossey!"

Both Harold and the bear turned to look at the same time. A pair of gunshots echoed across the clearing, and both bullets hit their mark in the young bear's head. It didn't take long for Harold to spot the lone shooter- a young woman standing over by the medical building.

"Amy! I told you to go with Grant."

His love returned her gun to her pocket and helped Harold out of the cage. "I did go with Grant… for a few seconds. Then I told him I was going back for a tranquilizer gun and that I would meet him at the sub bay."

Harold frowned at her actions, but was still thankful that she had saved him. "We can talk about this later. We have to get to the other side of the island before Grant and the others get there with the sub."

"Wait."

Harold picked up his pistol out of the tattered remains of his favorite lab coat and tucked it inside his belt. "What now?"

"I saw four of them run out of the Aquarium. That means that there can only be one or two left inside."

"You want to go in after them?"

"I think we should," Amy answered. "Even if there are any Hostiles left in there, they'll be so busy trying to keep Grant away from the sub that we can take them completely off guard."

"In that case, what are we waiting for?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

"Ben, are you there?"

Ben reached down and picked up his walkie-talkie from the desk. "I hear you, Richard. What's wrong?"

"The psychology building is empty and there's no trace of recent footprints."

Ben was only half paying attention to the conversation. The other half of his brain was concentrating on the array of monitors ahead of him, most of which depicted his people running through the jungle, chased by genetically altered polar bears.

"Alright, get back here as soon as possible. We have a situation."

"We'll be right there."

Ben placed the walkie back on the desk and leaned back in his chair. He turned a knob and one of the monitors switched to view the two doctors moving towards the Aquarium entrance.

"What do we have here?" he said to no one in particular. Apparently, the couple was coming for him. Ben was alone in the Aquarium, and he would be the only thing standing between them and the submarine. He would just have to find a way to hold them off until Richard and his team returned.

A brilliant idea sprung to life in his mind. He switched another monitor to view the shark cage just across the hall. Two specimens, genetically engineered to hunt humans, were visible within the tank.

A flip of a switch was all it took to begin flooding the hallway with water. Of course, the doctors could just put on the scuba gear stored in the airlock, but Ben had a solution for that too. Once the hallway was completely flooded, he flipped another switched which released the two man-eating sharks. The pair of doctors were about to get a bitter taste of their own medicine.

Ben was just about to sit back, relax, and watch his plan come to fruition when he noticed something strange on yet another monitor. It displayed the view of an underwater camera somewhere near the sub bay entrance, and it was currently depicting five human figures swimming through the water.

It took only a moment for the brilliant defector to realize what they were trying to do. The polar bears had only been a distraction while the rest of the loyal Dharma personnel tried to enter the sub bay from underwater. But that problem could be easily remedied as well.

It took Ben no more than a second to figure out how to close the massive sub bay doors, sealing off the pool from the outside ocean and preventing the divers from gaining entrance. But Ben wasn't through yet. He opened another door at the end of the Aquarium hallway, releasing the two sharks into the outside water. Those divers were in for a very nasty surprise. It was only a shame that the doctors wouldn't be able to experience the same fate.

Ben watched gleefully as the quintet of divers was quickly and efficiently devoured. It was too much to hope that the sharks would return to the Aquarium and take care of the doctors- no, they were now free to spend the rest of their lives in the open ocean. It would be up to Richard and his team to prevent the doctors from escaping.

On another monitor, Ben saw that the pair had entered the aquarium and were already swimming down the hallway towards the sub bay. That meant that they were only a few feet away from Ben's current location, though the surveillance room door was more than thick enough to keep them apart.

"Ben, it's Richard. We're here."

Ben picked up the walkie and held down the "talk" button. "Get in here, now. Milton and Occam are trying to steal the sub."

"I'm on it."

There was nothing to do now but sit back and watch the show. The time of the endgame had finally arrived.

"And Richard?"

"Sir?"

"I want those two kept on this island- at all costs."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

"Faster, faster."

"Be patient," Harold advised, though on the inside he was just as anxious as Amy. The airlock seemed like it was taking forever to drain and the door to the sub bay wouldn't open until it did.

Harold glanced down at his watch and realized that it was already past three thirty in the morning, which meant that the Hostiles had been on his island for over nine hours already.

Finally, once the room was sufficiently emptied, the light next to the door turned green and Amy pushed it open without hesitation.

At first, Harold was relieved to see that the sub bay was empty. Then he realized that not only was it devoid of Hostiles, but that Grant and the others were absent as well.

"The door's closed!" Amy yelled. Harold peered down through the pool water and saw that she was right. "We're doomed."

"Not yet. There's an override control inside the sub itself. Come on."

Harold climbed onto the deck of the _Galaga_ and down through the hatch, with Amy close on his heels. He left her to shut and seal the door behind them while he sprinted for the driver's seat and began starting up the machine.

"What happened to the others?" Amy asked as she caught up with him.

"I don't know. They probably turned around once they saw that the bay doors were closed. I'll bet they went back to the beach and if that's the case we can pick 'em up on our way out."

Suddenly, they heard the sound of gunfire coming from somewhere outside the sub. Harold peered through the periscope and saw four Hostiles, all armed with rifles, running towards them.

"Did you lock the door?"

"Of course."

"Then we should be fine." For the first time, Harold realized that they actually had a chance of escaping. Their plan had been shot to sunshine, but somehow in the end it had all turned out okay. Hope flooded through his heart as he hit the button to open the bay doors.

"This is it, Amy," he said with a smile. "We're free."

"No, I'm afraid we're not."

Harold's head snapped up look at Amy. But to his great surprise he found himself looking, not at her angelic face, but down the barrel of a gun.

"What… what are you doing?" he asked nervously.

"I'm sorry, Harold. But I've been thinking about what Arnold said and I'm afraid he's right. This is their island, and we have no right to be here."

The momentary shock of Amy's betrayal finally began to wear off. "Fine, so let's leave."

Amy shook her head. "It's too late for that. There's no place for us out there anymore. This island is our home now. And besides, if we leave, DHARMA will know that something went wrong and when they find out what the Hostiles have done, they'll come back seeking revenge. It'll be complete genocide of an innocent civilization. I can't just allow that to happen."

Harold swallowed audibly. "Amy, look at me. What are you trying to do? If we stay here, they'll kill us; we _have_ to leave!"

"No, we don't. Like Arnold said: if we apologize, they'll forgive us."

Harold took a moment to think about his situation. He was incredibly tempted to do what she said, and the two of them could live on together as part of the Hostiles. But Harold knew that he would never truly be happy again; he couldn't live with the woman who had betrayed him.

"I'm sorry that this had to happen, Amy, but I won't apologize for events beyond my control. We came here seeking a better world, and we found it. I wish that the Hostiles had never been here, that this conflict had never started, but that's just not the case. And if they couldn't live with us peacefully, then we had no choice but to fight back."

"I'm very sorry you feel that way."

Before Harold had a chance to say anything else, Amy lowered the gun and shot him in the chest.

As his vision began to grow blurry, he had time to utter but one more sentence, "I love you, Amelia."

His beloved smiled. "I love you too, Harold." Then she reached down, ripped out a lock of Harold's hair, and glanced at her watch.

"Time of Death: four o'clock."

THE END


End file.
